Masking apron and taping machine



June 14, 1955 w. WINKELMAN MASKING APRON AND TAPING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. WILLIAM WINKELMAN BY I H 8 RTTORNEY June 14, 1955 w. WINKELMAN 2,710,640

- MASKING APRON AND TAPING MACHINE .F'iled June :5. 1953 s Sheets-Sheei 2 v INVENTOR.

WILLIAM WINKE'LMAN FIG.4 I BYMWSQM HIS ATTORNEY June 14, 1955 w. WINKELMAN 2,710,640

MASKING' APRON AND TAPING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 8

FIG. 7

' IN VEN TOR. WILLIAM WINKELMAN MS (M HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,710,640 Fatented June 14, 1955 MASKING APRON AWD TAPENG MACHINE William Winlrelman, Miami, Fla.

Appiication June 3, 1953, Serial No. 359,309

4 Claims. (Cl. 154-31) This invention relates to a masking apron and taping machine having utility in the formation of a masking apron to cover portions of automobile surfaces or blanking out other areas in articles from which it is desired to exclude applied finishes directed thereto by spray paint or lacquer guns and the like. More particularly, the apparatus herein described exemplifies the invention of a machine for adapting an apron to mask curved surfaces.

The invention has for its objects, among others, to provide a machine of the character and for the purposes described, which will be efficient in operation, simple and compact in construction, and capable of ready and economical manufacture. Other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description thereof hereinafter set forth.

According to the invention, the machine has a frame in one end of which is mounted a supply reel feeding an apron web which is advanced toward a coil thereof arranged at the opposite end. A supply reel of pressuresensitive tape is alined to direct a strip therefrom in underlying and slightly overlapping relation with a marginal edge of the apron web for adhesion thereto in a manner known in the art. Interposed in the path of the web, are tucking and creasing roll assemblies adapted to engage the web along a relatively narrow marginal region bordering the taping strip therebeside whereby to furl or tuck this marginal region thereacross. The untucked region of the web outside the furled marginal region is thus caused to billow upwardly, imparting a flare thereto whereby to produce a web of generally concavo-convex form which is adapted to more readily conform to curved surfaces of, for example, an automobile body intended to receive the masking apron.

The invention is embodied in apparatus exemplified in the accompanying drawings wherein the views are as follows, like reference numerals designating identical parts throughout the several views:

Fig; 1, a plan of the machine and Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3, a diagrammatic sectional elevation on line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4, a section on line 44, Fig. 1, in which the web and strip portion are omitted for clarity;

Fig. 5, a fragmentary end portion of the view in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6, a section through the packing ring on line 66 in Fig. 7;

Fig. 7, a partial end elevation viewed from the operating end as seen in Fig. 2;

Fig. 8, a fragmentary plan of the masking apron web and tape strip united therewith; and

Fig. 9, a transverse section through the view inv Fig. 8.

The machine has a frame comprising a base 1, and a pair of side walls 2, which support a platform 3 spanning the mid-portion of the frame.

Arranged at one end of the frame and journaled in any suitable manner therein for removal therefrom, is

a shaft 4 on which is mounted a supply reel 5 of masking paper, preferably crepe, from which a web W is drawn toward a coil 6, (Figs. 1 and 2), at the opposite or operating end of the frame. This coil is detachably mounted for rotation by a drive shaft 7, operable from any suitable source as, for example, the hand crank 8.

The web W is threaded through a tucking roll assembly of upper and lower toothed rolls 9 and 10, (Figs. 3 and 4), between which only the relatively narrow marginal region R, (Fig. 8), is passed whereby to tuck or furl the web along one marginal edge portion bordering the strip S of pressure-sensitive tape to be united therewith. The upper roll 9 may be mounted for rotation by a shaft 11 on which is fixed a driven pulley 12. Through a spring type of belt 13, passing over an idler 14, the pulley 12 is driveable by a pulley 15 fixed on the drive shaft 7. The lower roll 10 may be rotatably supported by a stub-shaft 16 carried in any convenient manner by side wall structure adjacent thereto. Journaled on a stub-shaft 17 supported from the adjacent side Wall, is a supply reel 18 of pressure-sensitive tape from which the strip S is drawn for passage overhead on a flanged roller 19.

The roller 19, (Fig. 4), rotatable on a stub-shaft 20 supported from adjacent framing structure, is axially positioned and alined relative to the web W, now in passage over the platform 3, so as to direct the strip S into parallel underlying and slightly overlapping relation with the adjoining marginal edge of the tucking region R, (Fig. 9), with the adhesive face of the strip in abutment thereagainst. A creasing roll 21, interposed in the path of the web on its emergency from the tucking rolls, is fixed on a stub-shaft 22 journaled in an upright post carried by the adjacent wall. The shaft 22 is rotatable by a driven pulley 23, connected through a spring belt 24 with a drive pulley 25 fixed on the main drive shaft 7. A bottom roll shaft 26 is journaled in any convenient manner in frame-supported bearings to underlie the creasing roll whereby to engage therebetween the tucked marginal region R to crease the tucks formed therealong.

By the foregoing construction the web W, being furled along one margin, the opposite marginal region R, (Fig. 8), is thereby caused to billow upwardly imparting the generally concavo-convex form to the web suggested in Fig. 9 and resulting from a flare developed in the web thereacross by confining the tucking and creasing thereof to the marginal region R.

I may advance the axis of the lower tucking roll 10 (Fig. 3), relative to the axis of the upper roll, practice of my invention having proven that this shifting of the lower roll axis develops a relatively deeper tuck or fold in the web, than when the rolls are positioned with the axes thereof in a common vertical plane.

The web and strip united thereto are advanced in continuous travel for winding on a suitable spool to form the coil 6, by operation of the hand crank 8 as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Overlying the coil 6 is a compacting roll 27 (Figs. l and 7), rotatable by a stub-shaft 28 loosely journaled in one end of an arm 29 the opposite end of which is pivoted to the shaft 22. The roll 27 is thus free to tilt and rise with the changing peripheral circumferences of the coil building up thereunder, the arm 29 having flexible movement against a restraining upright 29' carried by the side wall therebelow. The shaft 28 is driven by a pulley 30 connected by a crossed spring belt 31 with a pulley 32 fixed on the shaft 22 and rotatable therewith. The compacting roll is fitted with circumferential flanges 33 of rubber or like resilient material spaced axially of the roll for frictional engagement with the periphery of the coil thereunder. A packing ring 34, having longi- 3 tudinally disposed peripheral corrugations as illustrated in Fig. 6, may be formed about the roll near the midportion thereof for frictional engagement with the coil to assist in compacting the winding thereon.

Referring now to Fig. 5, there is illustrated the slight horizontal deflection of the axis of the main drive shaft 7 from a position normal to the path of travel of the web W. This divergence is symbolized by the angle (p, exaggerated for clarity, between the shaft axis in the defiected position B and a position A normal to the web travel path. The shaft is thus biased to compensate for the longitudinal contraction of the marginal region R relative to the untucked region R (Fig. 8), resulting from the furling of the marginal region as hereinabove described. The shaft is biased to pivot the flared end of the coil in the direction of the webs travel whereby to provide a more compact Winding of the coil.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the speed ratio between drive pulley 15 and tucking roll pulley 12, and the relation thereof to the speed of creasing roll pulley 23, may be determined in practice to effect the pushing" of the web through the tuck rolls toward the creasing roll to insure an abundance of Web material available for the positive folding and creasing thereof. To use pulley belts of the spring" type, well known in the art for their antifriction characteristics, permits a power assistance to pulleys of different diameters as well as smoothing out the operation, for example, of the compacting roll which is driven on the one hand by creasing roll pulley 32 and on the other hand by frictional engagement with the changing periphery of the coil 6 thereunder.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to operation with masking paper of any specific type or width and that various changes and modifications to the apparatus are possible without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Theinvention is thus seen to provide a masking apron and taping machine meeting the objectives thereof hereinabove set forth. The finished coil 6 of united web and tape members is capable of Winding to considerable length of apron thereon and may be removed in a manner known in the art for use by the artisan in application to the work to be masked.

By virtue of the generally concavo-convex shape imparted to the masking apron by the machine herein described as exemplifying the invention, curved surfaces of the work in hand may be more readily and conveniently masked.

Having thus described the invention, the operation of which is readily apparent from the description, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A masking apron and taping machine comprising a frame having an apron supply reel rotatable in one end thereof to feed an apron web therefrom, a coil rotatable in the opposite end of said frame to receive said web for winding thereon, an adhesive tape supply reel arranged in said frame to feed a strip therefrom and means directing said strip along a marginal edge of said web in overlapping and adhesive relation therewith, said web having a marginal furling region defined thereon and bordering said strip along one side thereof and an unfurled region along the opposite side thereof, a pair of toothed rollers in loose meshing engagement arranged in said frame and interposed in the path of said web for the reception of said furling region therebetween to tuck said furling region substantially thereacross, said unfurled region being free of said toothed rollers, a pair of creasing rolls rotatable in said frame for the reception therebetween of said furling region to crease the tucks formed therein, means to rotate said coil to wind said web thereon, and means operable by said coil rotating means to rotate said toothed rollers and said creasing rolls.

2. The combination in a masking apron and taping machine including an apron supply reel feeding a web therefrom and a coil to receive said web for winding thereon, an adhesive tape reel feeding a strip for marinal overlapping adhesion to said web, of a pair of toothed rolls interposed in the path of said web and adapted to receive therebetween the marginal region thereof bordering said strip whereby to tuck said mar ginal region substantially thereacross, the opposite marginal region of said web being free of said toothed rolls whereby to furl and longitudinally contract said stripbordering region in relation to said opposite region, rotatable creasing means interposed in the path of said furled region to crease the tucks formed therein, means operable to advance said web and simultaneously rotate said toothed rolls and said creasing means.

3. In a masking apron and taping machine comprising a frame having an apron supply reel feeding an apron web therefrom and a coil rotatable to receive said web for winding thereon, an adhesive tape reel feeding a strip and means directing said strip along a marginal edge of said web in overlapping and adhesive relation therewith, and means operable to rotate said coil to draw said web theretowards, the combination of a pair of upper and lower toothed rolls rotatable in said frame and interposed in the path of said web to receive the marginal region thereof bordering said strip to tuck said marginal region thereacross, the untucked area of said web along the opposite side of said marginal region being free of engagement by said toothed rolls, a creasing roll journaled in said frame to engage said marginal area to crease the tucks formed therein, and means operable by said coil rotating means to rotate said toothed rolls and said creasing roll.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3, and: said lower toothed roll having the axis thereof advanced in relation to the axis of said upper toothed roll in the direction of travel of said web.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,007,047 Gibbs July 2, 1935 2,571,978 Watson Oct. 16, 1951 2,632,495 Ages Mar. 24, 1953 

